Now more than ever, there is lot of metal -- from comedy to thrash to black to grindcore -- getting slung in and around Metro Phoenix, thanks to concerts and gigs by locals and touring acts alike.

That's why we have compiled a monthly list of the 10 best metal and hard rock concerts happening at venues around the Valley during the month of May. The one honorable mention? Black Flag at Pub Rock Live on May 17. Although it's technically categorized as punk, the band also brought a lot of heavy metal influence to punk early on, so lots of metal enthusiasts tend to like the band as well.

Iced Earth has been melting faces since the '80s and is currently on tour promoting their eleventh album, Plagues of Babylon. The progressive thrash metal band has gone through a ton of lineup changes over the years -- but one huge constant remains: the band's rabid fan base. Playing with Swedish heavy act Sabaton, this is a great show to close out Club Red's current location with a bang (the venue relocates about two weeks later.)

This show is all about heavy Arizona metal. Phoenix-based metal outfit Three Seconds More appeals to hard rock and metal fans alike with its heavy instrumentals and melodic soaring vocals. An added bonus to this show is that Three Seconds More's drummer, Zack Sewell (whose also worked with Sicmonic, Eroticide and Souless) will be participating in three different sets. Hence the name, "Zack Attack." My personal favorite is Discordant from Payson, but extreme metallers SicMonic and Souless are solid picks to round out the bill.